This is part 2 of my ongoing series of book lists featuring young adult books with male protagonists. Part 1 lists high/epic fantasy books with young male leads, which you can read here!
I personally prefer reading about male protagonists (I’m a woman). I also would rather read a book with 1 POV, rather than ones that switch back and forth between different perspectives. The pacing of young adult fiction is also perfect after a long day at work!
Or perhaps your son has outgrown Spiderman, but isn’t ready to pick up adult fiction yet.
However, since the young adult market is largely aimed at girls and women these days, it can be a bit hard to find fast-paced books with 1 male main character. So I thought I’d share my growing TBR list with you all to help you find this kind of story as well!
Happy reading!
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Science Fantasy Books
Science fantasy is the umbrella term for fantasy that doesn’t fit neatly into just one genre! From contemporary fantasy and superpowered characters, to fantasy that leans a bit more toward sci-fi, there are a lot of great stories that fall outside of the epic category.
1. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
John Smith seems like an ordinary teenager, living a normal life with his guardian Henri in Paradise, Ohio. But for John, keeping a low profile is essential, because he is not an ordinary teenager. He’s an alien from the planet Lorien, and he’s on the run. A group of evil aliens from the planet Mogadore, who destroyed his world, are hunting anyone who escaped.
Nine Loric children were sent to Earth to live in hiding until they grew up and developed their Legacies, powers that would help them fight back—and help them save us. Three of them are now dead. John is Number Four, and he knows he’s next….
2. Steelheart (The Reckoners 1) by Brandon Sanderson
Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his will.
Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart — the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father.
3. Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
Only his father knows the truth about Rigg’s strange talent for seeing the paths of people’s pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him—secrets about Rigg’s own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.
Rigg’s birthright sets him on a path that leaves him caught between two factions, one that wants him crowned and one that wants him dead.
4. Flames of Mira (The Rift Walker 1) by Clay Harmon
Among boiling volcanoes under Mira’s frozen lands, people like Ig are forced to undergo life-threatening trials that bind chemical elements to the human body. One of Mira’s most powerful elementals, Ig serves as an enforcer for Magnate Sorrelo Adriann, but is cursed with flesh binding magic that will kill him at the first sign of disobedience.
When Sorrelo is overthrown, Ig quickly learns he can do far worse than what has been asked of him so far. If he can’t escape the flesh binding in time, he will have to kill friend and foe alike to stop his master reclaiming the throne, or sacrifice himself trying.
Superheroes and Magic Academies in Fantasy
These books aren’t so different from the ones above, as they also feature superpowered individuals. But if you like the added structure of magic academies and secret organizations, or you’re looking for stories set in the superhero/supervillain “metaverse,” these ones are for you!
5. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist, one who has the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings—merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake.
As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing—leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery.
6. The Never Hero (Chronicles of Johnathan Tibbs 1) by T. Ellery Hodges
Heroes are supposed to be the first to step forward. I didn’t. I was drafted.
An Alien, Heyer, did this to me. I asked him once why I had to do all the fighting while he watched from the shadows. He said he couldn’t be replaced. But I could be.
My name is Jonathan Tibbs. I’m the one standing between Earth and the Enemy.
They tell me every hero’s story follows a path. If I’m going to save the world, I have to find a different one.
7. The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost
Will West is careful to live life under the radar. At his parents’ insistence, he’s made sure to get mediocre grades and to stay in the middle of the pack on his cross-country team. Then Will slips up, accidentally scoring off the charts on a nationwide exam.
Now Will is being courted by an exclusive prep school . . . and followed by men driving black sedans. When Will suddenly loses his parents, he flees to the school. There he begins to explore all that he’s capable of–physical and mental feats that should be impossible–and learns that his abilities are connected to a struggle between titanic forces that has lasted for millennia.
8. The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell
Sixteen-year-old Damien Locke has a plan: become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But then he discovers that the one-night stand that spawned him was actually with a superhero, and his dad insists he come live with him.
Damien has to survive his dad’s “flying lessons” that involve throwing him off the tallest building in the city and keep his supervillain girlfriend in the dark. But when Damien uncovers a plot to turn all the superheroes into zombie slaves, a plan hatched by his own mom, he has to choose: let his family become zombies, or stand up to his mom and become a real hero.
9. Psion Beta by Jacob Gowans
In the shadowy underbelly of a futuristic city, Sammy, a fourteen-year-old fugitive, stumbles upon a secret: he possesses the extraordinary powers of a Psion.
Plucked off the streets, he is thrust into the rigorously disciplined environment of Psion Beta headquarters. As a new Beta, Sammy must hone his newfound abilities using holographic fighting simulations, stealth training missions, and complex war games.
But when things go horribly wrong on a routine training mission, he must rely on the other Betas to stay alive.
10. Into the Labyrinth (Mage Errant #1) by John Bierce
Hugh of Emblin is the worst student that the Academy at Skyhold has ever seen. He can barely cast any spells at all, and those he does cast tend to fail explosively. He’s also managed to attract the ire of the most promising student of his year – the nephew of a king.
When an unusual mage unexpectedly selects him as apprentice in the Choosing, however, his life starts to take a sharp turn for the better. Now all he has to worry about is the final test for the first years – being sent into the terrifying labyrinth below Skyhold.
Urban Fantasy & Supernatural Books
Most urban fantasy tends to jump straight to adult fiction, with adult characters and grittier scenarios and content. A lot of supernatural fantasy shifts towards paranormal romance. But I found a promising few. If you can think of any more urban fantasy examples with young male leads, please share!
11. White Cat (Curse Workers 1) by Holly Black
Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, all by the slightest touch. Since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. But not Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider—the straight kid in a crooked family—as long as you ignore one small detail: He killed his best friend, Lila.
Now he is sleepwalking, haunted by terrifying dreams of a white cat. His brothers are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of one huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to outcon the conmen.
12. Infinity (Chronicles of Nick 1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
At 14, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough, and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . . until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.
Now Nick has to hide his werewolf friends from his mom, his chain saw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended.
13. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don’t quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there’s a visitor at his window. It’s ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.
Patrick Ness takes the final idea of the late, award-winning writer Siobhan Dowd and weaves an extraordinary and heartbreaking tale of mischief, healing and above all, the courage it takes to survive.
14. Nightlife (Cal Leandros 1) by Rob Thurman
There’s a troll under the Brooklyn Bridge, a boggle in Central Park, and a beautiful vampire in a penthouse on the Upper East Side—and that’s only the beginning. Of course, most humans are oblivious to the preternatural nightlife around them, but Cal Leandros is only half-human.
His father’s dark lineage is the stuff of nightmares—and he and his entire otherworldly race are after Cal. Why?
He and his half-brother Niko have managed to stay a step ahead for three years, but now Cal’s dad has found them again. And Cal is about to learn why they want him, why they’ve always wanted him…
Steampunk Books
Classic steampunk mostly features adult characters, and a lot of contemporary steampunk has merged with the fantasy of manners sub-genre, featuring dashing young girls with pistols under their skirts. But here are a few that feature young men!
15. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
It is the cusp of World War I. The Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.
Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure…. One that will change both their lives forever.
16. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three half brothers are killed in an “accident,” he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.
Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and is surrounded by sycophants.
He is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne–or his life.
Comedy/Parody Fantasy
I don’t read much comedic fantasy, so if you do, please help me fill out this section. You can’t go wrong with Terry Pratchett!
17. Dodger by Terry Pratchett
Seventeen-year-old Dodger is content as a sewer scavenger. But he enters a new world when he rescues a young girl from a beating, and her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.
From Dodger’s encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd, to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.
18. Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers 1) by Rachel Aaron
As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don’t cause trouble. But this meek behavior doesn’t fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has had enough.
Now, sealed in his human form and banished to the DFZ–a vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit–Julius has one month to prove he can be a ruthless dragon or kiss his true shape goodbye forever. But in a city of modern mages and vengeful spirits where dragons are exterminated, he’s going to need some serious help to survive this test.
How to Find More YA Fantasy Books with Male Leads
Here’s the trick to finding young adult books with male protagonists. They’re NOT marketed as YA anymore. Use tags such as “coming of age fantasy” or “teen fantasy.” “Adventure fantasy” is a tag more often paired with high fantasy worlds, but can still be helpful if paired with other themes you’re looking for. For instance “superhero adventure fantasy” can filter through stories that primarily feature romance.
Why am I focusing on YA? Well, it’s not hard to find adult fantasy about male main characters. It IS hard to find contemporary adult fantasy with only 1 male POV, so I also made a list for those.
Until then, stay tuned for the next male YA lists which will feature dystopian, progression fantasy, and more!
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Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.
I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!
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